


server

by Darkfromday



Series: Yuuya and Reiji's Kind-Of Excellent Adventures [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: M/M, the closest I'll ever get to a restaurant AU, there's swearing. because they're teenagers.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-05 17:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12194730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkfromday/pseuds/Darkfromday
Summary: Their first meeting after the war.





	server

_SWISH!_

" _Ta-daaaa!"_

The plates twirl and spin to a stop in front of their respected bigwigs, loaded with dinner enough for four dimensions. The older women and men startle, then clap, impressed despite themselves. Then again, they did come to this fancy restaurant looking for a show.

And if Sakaki Yuuya's good at anything, it's bringing a show.

He juggles the sticks the plates were previously balancing on, then uses one of those sticks to hook into his pitcher and dangerously pour refills for the whole table, relishing their sharp intakes of breath and and stiffening under the table. Scaring them now feels almost  _better_ than impressing them does seconds later when he's done, and he knows  _why_ it feels better, but he doesn't react to them in any way. He just beams and bows and rattles off his  _ding if you need any thing!_ spiel before making a beeline for the kitchen doors.

And once he's through them--he grumbles and sags.

_Ugh. What a day._

_No--what a_ half _day, because it's not even half over. **Ugh**._

How can a whole company full of assholes take lunch at  _the same time?_

"Oi! No slouching on the job!" Shiun'in Sora calls, bumping him half-playfully on his way to emotionlessly chop onions like the monster he is.

"Shush, you," Yuuya groans, slumping into the only chair by the time clock. "Or tag back in from break. I'm running six tables at once on my own, okay? I'm  _tired_."

"Not finished eating yet," the Fusion boy says around a mouthful of what's definitely candy and not the smoked salmon Gongenzaka specifically made for him so no more cavities would grow in his little hunter teeth. Ungrateful brat.

"Make that  _seven_ tables, Sakaki," Koutsu Masumi says, abruptly coming through and stopping next to him to clock in. There's an odd glint in her pink eyes. "Another pair just sat down."

Yuuya whines so much he misses that cue, and he misses Sora barely nicking his own finger mid-chop when  _he_ looks outside at the dining hall too to see who's showed up. No, he just puts his So, So Happy To Work Here mask back on in his mind, and dances out of the kitchen beaming as he blindly approaches table zero.

 _ **You should have chopped Sora up with that knife and left him with the onions,**_ Yuuri hisses in his head.  _ **Teach** him_ ** _to slack off._**

_Shut it, Yuuri._

**He's crazy as hell, Yuuya, but Yuuri's got a** **point** , Yuuto interjects.  **We've been at this job a year and you're still letting your friends walk all over you and do half the work.**

_**Who the hell are you calling crazy? You think** I  **would've taken this shitty job?**_

"OKAY!" Yuuya bubbles, shoving down the voices in his head with forced cheer cranked up to eleven. He reaches table zero and whips out his pad, performing already. " _Hell-o~_ , and welcome to The Smoked Cod! I'm your host, Yuu--"

_"Yuuya?"_

He opens his eyes to see his new customers--and blanches.

Sputters.

 _Holy shit, it's Akaba Reiji_.

* * *

"Am I missing something?" Reiji's companion snaps after a twenty second period of absolute shocked silence.

Yuugo snorts. ' _Oh buddy,_ you _feel like a third wheel?'_

Yuuya doesn't really pay either of them any mind, because sitting here is  _the old rival, the pain in his ass he's avoided for a year._ He isn't sure what to do, what to say, which is why he's stuck to his own streets and minded his own business, far from LDS or any of its affiliates, associates or allies.

After the war, after the  _Now_ became  _Then_ , he found ways to shrink his circle back to Gongenzaka and members of You Show. Masumi's intrusion into the part-time jobs they'd procured to pay their expenses was bothersome but manageable.

Until now, he's never had to worry about seeing the boy who dragged him off to battlegrounds, and wearing an expensive host suit and shoes is  _not_ how he wanted to see him again.

"Yes," Reiji hums eventually to his--wait, to his  _partner_ , which shocks both the latter and Yuuya, because  _whaaa? Isn't he_ here _with this guy?_   "You are. If you would excuse us for a moment...?"

The other guy mumbles something about checking for dog hair on his suit and agrees to disappear into the restroom for a bit. Actually  _agrees_. Yuuya gapes after him.

The moment he's gone Reiji says, "I didn't realize you worked here."

 _Aha, yeah, why would you?_   "Was I... supposed to keep you posted, or something?"

"No... you merely surprised me. I would not have envisioned you here."

"Ah, 'cause it's  _too_ upscale?" Yuuya rolls his eyes. "I've got bills to pay just like all the other waiters here. This place pays well. Two and two still makes four." He glances back toward where he knows Masumi and Sora are eavesdropping and slacking, respectively. "Speaking of other waiters--"

But the CEO of LDS seems to know what Yuuya's saying before he gets it out, and so waves his hands to stop him.

"Yuuya--I do not want another waiter."

"You think this is just about what  _you_ want?" the younger boy asks bitterly, and both know he is not just talking about customer service. But Reiji skillfully avoids this long-running minefield between them, steering back toward the here and now.

"Yes. And I want someone skilled at serving and entertaining. Is that you?" His purple eyes sparkle with a challenge.

There's a beat of silence, where the other businessman slips out of the restroom and approaches the table again, and there are audible intakes of breath from behind the distant kitchen doors.

 _Like they're watching a fucking soap or something_.

Yuuya slaps down two menus, not breaking that analytical teasing gaze for one moment. If he was still Zarc his aura would flare out and swallow this pompous boy. As it is, he has to settle for showing off in his smiling persona.  _As usual_.

"You think my entertainment ends when the Solid Vision's off? Okay then,  _Reiji_. Tell you what. I'll give you the best show you've ever had here, you  _and_ your friend. Tip me whatever you think's appropriate for the performance when I'm done. Deal?"

He holds out his hand assertively for a shake, awaiting an answer too. The other boy's briefly startled look makes Yuuya smirk, because it proves his attempt to unsettle Reiji  _worked_. As this moment drags too, he lifts his eyebrows.

And Reiji finally sees fit to shake his hand.

"Very well, Sakaki Yuuya. We have a deal. I await your best work."

"And you'll get it--I assure you."

Yuuya takes both their orders and departs to fire up the kitchen and his coworkers. Reiji's hand in his felt cool, and the coolness lingers, but it was not as satisfyingly cool as the huge tip he is going to earn will feel.


End file.
